Immigrant Heritage Week, established in 2004, celebrates the histories and contributions of New York City’s diverse immigrant communities. This year, Immigrant Heritage week, celebrated from April 17 to April 24 marks the 11th annual weeklong celebration.

Immigrant Heritage Week 2015
Every year, NYC celebrates Immigrant Heritage Week (IHW’15) from April 17th – 24th, which marks the date in NYC history when the most immigrants crossed Ellis Island. This year marks the 50th anniversary of the 1965 Hart-Cellar Act, which eliminated race-based quotas in the country’s immigration laws and is widely viewed as a victory for civil rights, and an extension of civil and human rights values beyond the country’s borders. This legislation has also heavily contributed to the vibrant diversity that we see in NYC and the United States today.

This year, the Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs will use IHW’15 as a platform to celebrate, promote and bring awareness to this historic moment in our country’s history. This focus will be delivered through a series of coordinated events, which will also include a series of panel discussions focusing on the outcomes of this legislation, and the current movement to advance another wave of progressive immigration reform. The recognition of this historic legislation, and properly couching immigration reform as a Civil Rights issue, is aligned with Mayor Bill de Blasio’s goal of making NYC inclusive of all NYers and highlights NYC’s standing as a national leader in this work.
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